BOULDER?Though the sport of baseball has been defunct at the University of Colorado as a varsity sport since 1980, the history and rich tradition of America’s pastime at CU remains very much alive. The records and accomplishments of these former teams, players and coaches bring a sense of pride to many followers of CU athletics.
Among all of the sports at CU?which have spanned the course of three different centuries?only two teams have ever won 25 straight contests. Most recently, the 1994-95 women’s basketball team accomplished the feat under former head coach Ceal Barry. The other sport to accomplish the feat at CU was the baseball team, spanning three seasons from 1939-1941.
During the heyday of America’s pastime, Colorado developed something special on its diamond field. Conjured up by the school’s Dean of Men, Harry Carlson, the CU baseball program began a journey to the top of the school’s record list. It began on May 27, 1939 after the Buffaloes had lost 4-3 to the University of Wyoming. With power hitting, Coach Carlson’s team demolished the Cowboys 17-5. The 24 games that followed varied in the on-the-field performance, but one thing was constant: the triumph felt after each game.
Colorado opened the following season on April 5, 1940 with a home-and?home series against the Colorado School of Mines. CU leftfielder Irwin “Pincy” Hendler decorated the first game with a homerun in Colorado’s 4-0 victory. Four days later the teams met in Golden. This time, pitcher “Big John” Pudlik was the catalyst of victory for the Buffaloes. He pitched a brilliant seven hitless innings in a 5-2 triumph.
The wins slowly collected as Colorado opened its conference campaign in Fort Collins. Facing Colorado State for two games, the Buffaloes’ bats exploded for a total of 24 runs in the 11-4 and 13-2 conquests. Six days later, on April 26, in what would prove to be the toughest game, Colorado met the confident Wyoming Cowboys. Nine solid innings from Pudlik and a lone run from the collaboration of Robert Johnson and William Kisler provided enough support for the Buffs to squeak by their Big Seven foe, 1-0. The next day sophomore pitcher Ed Mele led Coach Carlson’s squad to a 14-1 rout and the Buffs’ seventh straight victory.
Colorado took a brief hiatus from the conference season on April 30, inviting Regis College to Boulder. The guests stood no chance as the Buffaloes bulldozed them 19-0. The victory marked the midpoint of the season, as well as the Buffs’ eighth consecutive win.
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Pitcher Big "John" Pudlik won nine of the Buffs'
14 games in 1940. |
Conference play resumed against the University of Denver. Flashy fielding and good hitting gave CU an 8-4 victory. Third baseman Joe Romano assisted the team by going 3-for-3. A week later the Buffs returned home for two games. The first was a ten-inning match up against Colorado State that literally slipped through the hands of the visitors. A wild pitch from an Aggies’ reliever gave Hendler the chance to bolt down the third-base line. As he touched home plate, Colorado was rewarded a 4-3 win. The latter game, against Denver, was just a tough. The Buffaloes came from behind to claim victory, as the Pioneers were vanquished 6-4. Colorado had its 11th straight win and sealed up its third straight conference title.
CU’s winning ways continued as the team traveled to Wyoming and grabbed an 11-6 victory on May 18. The Big Seven Conference season concluded with a game against Denver. Lead by a 17 strikeout game from Pudlik, Colorado defeated its rival 7-3.
The 1940 season concluded with two games in Lincoln against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The first game lasted until the tenth inning when CU drove in four runs to win 9-5. Pudlik received the win after relieving Mele. The second and final game of the season finished as an 8-2 victory for the Buffs, and for the third straight time Pudlik received the win. Carlson’s roster completed the season undefeated, with nine of the 14 wins credited to Pudlik. The team left 15 straight victories to the gloves and bats of the following squad.
Carlson’s 1941 team matched the same passion as its predecessors. The season began with eight straight games in Boulder with CU facing the Colorado School of Mines in the first two. Colorado dominated 13-4 in the first contest with the help of great pitching from sophomore Dale “Pete” Atkins. He allowed only one run and two hits in seven innings on the mound. The following game, Colorado fashioned a 7- 4 victory that brought the streak to 17.
On the 11th and 12th of April, the Nebraska Cornhuskers came to Boulder. The first game featured a 20-hit barrage from the Buffaloes’ bats and 13 strikeouts from Atkins. The Buffs pounced on the Cornhuskers 16-2. Game Two featured a no-hitter through six innings from pitcher Ray Hartman and 23 hits from the offense. Romano accounted for three of the hits with a double and two singles. He also scored five of the Buffs’ runs, embarrassing Nebraska, 27-2. Colorado was now undefeated in 19 straight games.
The 1941 conference opener pitted the Buffs against their rivals from the North, Colorado State. Atkins struck out 19 Aggies batters and got three hits himself, including a home run over the centerfield fence, in Colorado’s 4-2 conquest. Atkins followed with an amazing showing against Wyoming: He stuck out 12 batters in six innings and gave the Buffs their 21st straight win in a 15-1 rout. Atkins also added 11 more strikeouts in Colorado’s 8-1 triumph over the Denver Pioneers on May 3.
The Buffaloes faced Colorado State in a home-and-home series on May 6. The Aggies held a 4-2 lead for most of the first game, but in the sixth inning the Buffs capitalized on the Aggies’ errors, scoring four runs in a 7-5 comeback win. The victory was earned by Hartman, who was relieved by Atkins in the seventh. Colorado broke from its eight-game home stand three days later, traveling to Fort Collins for Colorado State’s home portion of the series. Colorado centerfielder Packy Romans and second baseman Orin Davis aided the Buffs’ 24th straight victory, along with Atkins’ pitching. Atkins retired the last 15 batters he faced, giving up only four hits. Colorado’s 3-2 win was finally attained after Davis singled Romans home.
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The 1940 CU baseball team went undefeated and won the Big
Seven Conference title. |
When May 13th rolled around on the schedule, the Buffs took on their rivals from the capital city. The match up gave both teams’ fans excitement in a game that featured numerous lead changes. The opening run was scored in the first by CU, followed by Denver in the bottom of the third. The Buffs got the lead back with a two-run sixth. Then the Pioneers bounced back to score two of their own in the seventh. With no runs scored in the latter innings, the game became an extra-inning affair. The tie was broken in the top of the 12th inning after Handler singled over second base to bring shortstop Martin Trotsky home. The hit gave the Buffs a 4-3 lead and the Pioneers couldn’t answer in the bottom of the inning. Colorado claimed its 25th and last victory of the impressive record.
The Buffaloes’ streak ended May 16th, 1941, in Colorado Springs, when CU took on a furious Colorado College squad. The Tigers pulled off a 4-3 victory due mainly to Buffaloes’ errors. However the Buffs bounced back the next game with an 8-7 victory. Colorado finished off its 1941 season going north to Laramie to take on the Wyoming Cowboys in a two game series, winning 11-4 and 22-2, respectively. The Colorado baseball team ended the season 8-0 in the Big Seven and 13-1 overall. The Buffs also brought home their fourth straight Big Seven title.
During the stretch of the record, the Buffaloes averaged 9.62 runs compared to their opponents’ average of 2.64. Colorado totaled 242 runs during the 1940 and 1941 seasons, compared to 66 runs by their opponents. Colorado also had some impressive accomplishments; six players from the 1940 team were named to the All-conference team and Atkins set the conference record for strikeouts in a game with 19.
